
Among the many reasons people watch, and rewatch, sitcoms is to imagine your life was more like the one you were watching.
Being able to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village on a line cook's salary, somehow always having the comfortable sofa available at your favorite coffee shop whenever you pop in, or having your best friends always available at your beck and call whenever you need them.
For the romantics, however, it's wishing you could have a romance like you've seen on television.
True not all sitcom romances are exactly the sort that makes you go all aflutter (Were Ross and Rachel actually on a break? And don't even get me started about Ted and Robin.)
Other sitcom couples are so captivating, though, that we would have given anything to be at their wedding... or at the very least go to their home for dinner every Friday.
And this includes plutonic couples, as there is nothing more heartwarming than a lasting friendship.
Redditor kea32 was curious to hear who people considered the best sitcom couples, both romantic and plutonic, of all time, leading them to ask:
"What is the best couple in sitcom history?"
Creating An Even More Welcoming Community
"Troy and Abed. A couple of friends."- aghzombies
"They did grace the cover of Best Friends Weekly."- DwightsEgo
Sorry Amy...
"Peralta and Doug Judy."- DavosLostFingers
"Reunited and it feels so good 🎶."- Ghostenx
"PSYCH"!... No, Seriously...
"Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster."- dazedcap
"'I'm Black, he's Tan'."- CrueGuyRob
"Snap, Snap."
"The correct answer is Gomez and Morticia Addams."- Reddit
"They loved each other dearly. "
"They were completely enamored with each other, spent time with their kids, their family."
"Accepted everyone as they were."
"It wasn't til I was an adult That I realized married couples weren't meant to hate each other."
"My mother had many partners in my childhood, she's toxic and things were always chaotic."
"And watching 90s sitcoms, I thought married people were meant to hate each other, and I always wondered what the point was."- MissMurder8666
Overshadowed By Their Middle Child...
"Hal and Lois."- MrRocketman999
"As a husband, I don't think I can live up to Hal."
"He sort of sets a really high standard lol."
"He loves her like they are still in the honeymoon phase."
"So infatuated with her lol."- treathugger
A Better Couple? Many Would Say, "Knope"...
"Ben and Leslie."
"I' love you and I like you.'"
"Simple line, yet so powerful."- Radkeyoo
"Gruesome", But Adorable
"Frank and Charlie from Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
"The gruesome twosome."- Herr_Poopypants
The Parents Everyone Wished Were Theirs...
"Bob and Linda from 'Bobs burgers'."- shashybaws
"All of the Belchers have such great relationships with each other. "
"They're wholly accepting and supportive (even if they disagree)."
"They really love each other, and it shows."- SummerOfMayhem
UK Version Only, Of Course...
"Moss and Roy (The IT Crowd)."- pentapotamia
"'I'm your wife, Roy!'"- Summerof5ft6andahalf
"'If anything, I’m the husband!'"- pentapotamia
Afterlife Be Damned... Or not, Actually...
"Eleanor and Chidi from 'The Good Place.'"
"How can you beat two deeply flawed people who together make each other better over and over again?"- hotbimess
Ruining All Food For Viewers, One Food Group At A Time...
"The only correct answer is - Scully and Hitchcock."- Prestigious-Net-2236
"Back off! It's our microwave! Ours! GRRRRRRR!"- Lvcivs2311
Nostalgic And Wonderful
"Kitty and Red from That 70s/90s Show."- saginator5000
"I like how Red on the surface seems like a mean parent who doesn’t let his kids have fun."
"But he’s watching out for his kids."
"And he’s a good man."
"He has a hard and stressful time supporting his family and he is grumpy sometimes but he would do anything for his family and he really loves them."
"What he does for Hyde is amazing."
"He just doesn’t put up with BS."- themanfromvulcan
It Seems Everyone Is Better With Turk At Their Side
"Turk and Carla."
"Or Turk and JD. (Scrubs)."- JCBAwesomist
"Turk and JD all the way."- nunyabidnez76
Can't We Get Back What We Once Had?...
"Homer and Marge had a lot of beautiful moments back in the older seasons."
"Sadly, seasonal rot has ruined a lot of that."
"I miss a lot of how the characters used to be."
"Like, Homer was an oaf and a brute, but he loved his family immensely and deeply and would (and DID) do any and everything for them."
"He'd catch details like in that episode about the streetcar play that you wouldn't think he would."
"He gave up beer for a month for Marge and we got to see that, for him, it wasn't just a minor thing."
'Lisa might have been intelligent but she not only had ample 'dumb/shallow' moments, she also was very close to Bart and, likewise, Bart was close to her."
"He might struggle in school but he also showed he wasn't dumb either."- Snowtwo
Be they married in the first episode or on and off again for an insufferable amount of time (looking at you, Jeanine and Gregory in Abbott Elementry!), sitcom couples give us people to root for and fill our own hearts with hope.
So much so that we don't mind following the arc of their love stories over and over again.
And yes, the episode where David meets Patrick's parents remains a tearjerker, no matter how many times you watch it.
The Darkest Facts About The Food Industry
Reddit user Miserable_Papaya1814 asked: 'What dark facts do you know about food industry?'
Many people prefer to know as little about what they're eating as possible, while others will do copious research about their food, namely how safe and hygienic what they just ate was.
Sometimes going down that rabbit hole of research, you might learn something about a product you just purchased or a restaurant that you wish you hadn't.
Then too, some of what you may read is purely urban legend and has absolutely no basis in fact.
Unfortunately, some information is merely the surface of shocking, disgusting secrets.
"What dark facts do you know about food industry?"
Unwanted Extra Ingredients...
"Sometimes the salads aren't bug free."
"There were times where I received crap for taking too long washing lettuce."
"Staff would wash a large container of lettuce like once or twice."
'I did it 3 or 4 times."
"I didn't stop until the water was clear and had no bugs."
"The others had a 'who cares' attitude."
"One time my boss needed my help and said to me frustrated, 'The lettuce is already washed, unpack it in salads quickly'."
"The lettuce looked dirty so I said to myself 'I can't sell this to people'."
"I washed it and guess what the water looked like."
"Dark brown from soil, 50+ dead gnats, a living and swimming spider the size of a penny."- FightStageYouTube
The Contaminants Will Not, Though...
"Worse I participated in as kitchen staff in a rather top-flight restaurant."
"On a slow summer Sunday afternoon, the boss sent us down to the walk-in meat coolers to spray paint the rusted walls."
"We were instructed to not remove the contents of cooler first; rather just shift the meat from one side of cooler to other."
"The coat of silver spray paint will come off during cooking."- Zealousideal_Lie_383
You Have No Idea What's Been In There...
"The deep fryer grease is long overdue for a change; but it’s expensive to do so nightly."- Zealousideal_Lie_383
And People Go To Bed Hungry...
"The amount of waste thrown away every single day by grocery stores."
"I worked in the meat department of a decently sized grocery store and the waste their was nauseating."
"I sh*t you not, we would throw away an industrial sized garbage bin worth of meat, fish, and poultry every single day."
"The expiration dates dictated everything which is obviously a sensible policy to have, but they wouldn't do anything about it."
"They wouldn't donate it, let employees take it home, or make adjustments to the orders so we wouldn't have to throw so much away."
"The reasoning was always 'better have to much than not enough' which I guess makes a little sense, but when I am throwing away dozens of pounds of tenderloins, center cut fish and shellfish per night, its to much."
"Mind you, this is one department of one grocery store."
"Sorry for the rant but I feel like it needed to be said."- Zastrow_Studios
There's A Reason They're "All You Can Eat..."
"In my country, buffets often sell spoiled food, like if the employees see mold on top of the sour cream, they just scrape it down and continue selling it."
"Also, if they sell cooked meat, they often leave them on the counter for days and add some oil to it every morning to look fresh."- Wooden_Potential_699
Don't Believe Everything You Hear... (But Remember, This One Was In Canada...)
"So odd to see all of the comments that chain places are dirty!"
"On the weekends I work as a server in the lounge of Boston Pizza (Canadian chain—not sure if there are any in the states) and when I started working there I was seriously impressed with the cleanliness procedures!"
"For one example, parmesan and chilli containers are emptied and cleaned every night, as well as salt and pepper shakers!"
"Kitchen protocols are very clean and organized as well!"- noobishpineapple
Not Exactly "Haute Cuisine"...
"You'd never want to eat at a restaurant again once you saw how much of your $70 meal for two came frozen and pre-prepared in plastic bags."- PhilipLiptonSchrute
It's Not Just The Greens That Need Washing...
"Grocery distribution warehouses are often extremely filthy and rarely cleaned."
"Wash anything canned, bottled or jarred!"
"They're filthy as hell, covered in microplastics, rotten food, mouse pee, bird sh*t, etc etc."
"I used to do maintenance on conveyor systems for a major US chain and they just send sh*t flying down the conveyors so fast that, its fairly common for glass to shatter because of the vibrations, food to fall off, etc etc."
"I saw Bats, Birds and Mice in that facility, but it was within tolerance of their health policy."
"Also saw people that were sick sneezing and coughing on products."
"Never saw a floor scrubber go through the warehouse the entire 3mo I worked there and I was doing alternating double shifts!"
"The only time I saw a broom was if there was shattered glass."- -Plunder-Bunny-
Remember, All These Incidents Are Case By Case...
"As a former chef, I've got to say that I've never seen any of the horrible stuff mentioned here over my career (mostly higher end and fine dining establishments)."
"We on ocassion would have things like frozen airline chicken breasts brought in, but other than that we did all prep and cooking by hand with fresh ingredients from mostly local purveyors when possible."
"We also broke down and deep cleaned every night from the ranges to the floors to the wells to the vents."
"Every night."
"Myself and staff have always taken this sh*t very seriously, and it's always disappointing when you hear of this kind of behavior."
"Do better, people."- iamtehryan
They Trick You With The Language
"It’s more like misleading labeling."
"No sugar."
"Right?"
"Wrong if you read ingredients on a lot of these packaging it will say things like maltodextrin and dextrose."
"That’s actually a sugar."
"Because of regulation they only have to label it no sugar and people think it’s healthy, etc."- SavemebabyK
Maybe Just Stick With Sausage...
"Worked in a pepperoni factory 20+ years ago as an accountant."
"Found that the more MSP in the bill of materials, the lower quality and cheaper the product."
"Looking at the stuff, it looked kind of like an old square crumbly eraser if you remember those."
"So I asked what MSP was."
"It's 'mechanically separated pork'."
"When I asked what that means, they told me that after all the good meat is cut off of a pig, a power washer is used to blast the remaining flesh off the carcass."
"That's scooped up, dried out and packaged as MSP."
"Enjoy your next cheap pepperoni pizza."- Lahk74
It's very easy to decide not to eat at a certain restaurant, or dine at a certain grocery store owing to a less-than-appealing appearance.
That being said, many people might be surprised to discover that conditions at the "higher end" options might be as bad or worse.
Then too... if the food is delicious, and has yet to make you sick, then perhaps ignorance is, in fact, bliss.
Fast food is a staple in most households. While not the healthiest option our there, the food is always good, and it's a great option when you need something fast or in a pinch.
There are dozens of fast food places out there, and everyone has a favorite. My brother and I go to Wendy's once a week, and while we'll eat at other places when we have to, we don't like any place better than Wendy's.
With everyone having a favorite fast good restaurant, everyone also has a least favorite. Redditors are sharing which fast food restaurants they hate so much, they refuse to eat at them.
It all started when Redditor Feisty_Affect_7487 asked:
"What is one fast food restaurant you will never go to?"
Health Code Violation?
"Sonic. Got served rotten dairy, then got called a lying f**king b*tch by the manager. I wasn't even asking for money back since I was already out of town. Just called to warn them that it was rotten."
– Apprehensive-Air8917
"Welp might as well add the time I got a chili dog from Sonic and noticed a strange color on the side while looking at, only to pick it up and reveal that the entire underside of the bun was covered in blue mold. How the f**k does a person not notice that before it gets out the window?"
– GDMFusername
"Me eating my chicken tenders from Sonic while reading this"
"oh."
– burnt_seawing_the2nd
Employee Horrors
"Sonic- I worked there, the hotdogs/chilly have a chance of being 2+ days old, same with the gravy. You also better hope someone taught an employee how to clean the ice cream/ slushy machines. If not, you might have a similar story to mine. When I was new, they were training us at an old sonic, so we would go work at a new one. The manager was also 'new' to that area and was heading to the new one."
"So one day, he decided it was time to clean the ice cream machine and asked one of the employees from there to teach us. They didn't know how, so he went around asking, and no one who worked there knew how to clean it. So he gathered us around to teach us, he shut down the machine and opened it up. A cascade of ice cream mix and maggots came pouring down. The machine was apparently crushing the maggots as it mixed the ice cream. He cleaned the slushy machine the next day, but I wasn't there to see it, I just heard it wasn't pretty."
– petty_witch
"I have a similar story about the Dairy Queen I worked at."
"There was a little drainage channel built into the machine, so melted soft serve could go to the floor grate. This was predictably never cleaned, and soon enough - maggots."
"Owner was informed, and he just said "use bug spray" (which would, of course, have gotten into the ice cream...). Manager rushed over from their other restaurant and desperately tried to clean it with a pipe cleaner, then threatened to fire anyone who spoke a word about it."
"Fun times."
– joefred111
"when you pay like sh*t and cut corners at every opportunity then yeah youre gonna have employees who barely keep it together, if at all."
"I used to run a DQ. Busiest one in the entire region. I was routinely by myself, 7am to well into the night. Towards the end I was getting 130 hours a week in a salaried position. I was *sleeping at the restaurant* it was so bad. The moment I left "oh we'll give you whatever you want!!!" like no dude it's two years too late"
– verdenvidia
"I'm never getting fast food ice cream ever again what the F**K"
– 4ps22
Ew. Just...Ew.
"Jack in the Box restaurant I used to go to almost weekly while working overnights was closed down due to spider infestation of the breading for fried chicken..."
– Tzokal
"In the early 1990s an e-coli outbreak was traced to Jack in the Box. It killed four children, and something like 700 or 800 people got sick. Never eaten there since then."
– Schmliza
What It Turned Into
"Panera is over priced cardboard portrayed as food, blech."
– criket2016
"I would like to apologize for the greed of a once great company called St. Louis Bread Co., nationally known now as Panera Bread. When they started in St. Louis, it truly was different and very good. Mass production does this to most great food. As a St. Louisan who used to love St. Louis Bread Co and even worked there for a short time, I apologize for what they have become."
– Roach55
"I had the weirdest, dumbest experience at a Panera in Portland, Oregon, about ten years ago. I went there under the impression it was going to be good. It was bland and overpriced, but didn't stand out as anything other than kind of mediocre. But the customer service was AWFUL. Legitimately, just the worst. The gal that took my order was needless rude, even though we were polite and tipped generously, and then when I tried to use their restroom and found it was locked, the manager stormed out of her office and yelled at me, saying that I had to be escorted in and out of the bathroom and couldn't just do my business in peace. She marched me to the restroom, stood guard outside and then walked me back to me table after like we were in a prison yard. It was so bizarre and humiliating. I never went back and left them some rock bottom reviews."
"They were near a MAX station, so that's probably why they were so edgy about the bathroom use, but if I actually were a homeless person I think I just would have peed on their floor rather than putting up with kthat kind of treatment."
– Bonbonnibles
Rue The Day
"Every year or two I give Burger King another chance and I always regret it. Can't imagine ever going back."
"Can't remember the last time I've been to a KFC... maybe 5-6 years?"
– ButtholeQuiver
"Burger King used to at least have really good fries but something changed in the last decade or so. I've been there maybe twice in the last five years and regretted each time lol."
– WritingTheDream
Decades Without
"Kentucky Fried Chicken. Food poisoning at 2 different locations during college. I've made it 3 decades not going back."
– bmtri
"Agree. Those mashed potatoes gotta come from a box. Bleh."
– Who-took-my-abs
"I worked there for a month in 1998. Haven't eaten it since."
– g_pelly
"i’ve heard so many stories in my life of people getting food poisoning after eating kfc, that i’ve just never tried it"
– daylightcoke
"I loved KFC as a kid. I took my kids once about 2 yrs ago. It was inedible."
– mykittenfarts
Inflation Is Real
"Subway."
"It's all just awful and I have a proper sandwich shop the same distance in the other direction."
– Jonny2284
"I went last week after about a 6-7 year absense. The $5 foot longs were $12 and $13!?!"
– High_Jumper81
A Complete Mess
"I'm done with mcdonalds. Sh*ts not cheap anymore and the food is always trash. That's if you even get the right order"
– Deceiver999
"The one near me has forgotten items EVERY time I order on the app. I honestly think they’re trying to scam people and they just hope you don’t walk inside and ask them to fix it"
– taco3donkey
An Interesting Cure
"First time I ever went to White Castle/Crystal it ended with me sh*tting my brains out for an hour. Never again"
– blackmobius
"I mean, they call 'em sliders for a reason. :V"
– Funkette
"My grandfather literally gets White Castle when he’s constipated for this reason."
– helloxcthulhu
Remember The Good Old Days?
"Pizza Hut pizza is atrocious now."
– Carmaca77
"Pizza Hut was done the minute they switched to those god awful frozen dough disks and not fresh made like it used to be."
– thedeadbeatclubsc
"It started going downhill 25 years ago. As a kid in the 70's it was great, and not because I was a kid at a pizza place, but because you would sit down at a red-checkered table cloth, a server would greet you nicely. And the place was clean. Now it feels like you're going into a money laundering front with angry servers and everything is sticky and smells like dirty socks."
– BaconReceptacle
Food Isn't The Only Thing That Matters
"Popeyes."
"The food is great. The service is just absolute garbage. There are always missing items from my order. Coke machine always broken. I refuse to go there anymore. I've been to several locations in San Antonio and they all the same."
– starshame2
"A Popeye's opened up in the town I used to live in and I went there for lunch one day. Pretty much got yelled at for coming and they basically threw my food at me. It was fire, though."
– coombuyah26
"Pretty sure it’s a company policy to have sh*tty service. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something as consistent country wide as bad service at Popeyes."
– BustyUncle
I'm starting to think maybe fast food shouldn't be a staple.
Who doesn't love a great television show?
Truly great storytelling has come from that little home entertainment box.
But there is something to be said about staying too long at the party.
Too many fabulous shows have had their legacies tainted by not bowing out sooner.
Staying on the air too long tends to lead to ludicrous plots that ruin everything.
And so many shows have tanked by ludicrous plot twists that just ruin everything.
Maddie and David shagging on 'Moonlighting.'
Bobby Ewing's death a dream on 'Dallas.'
All of 'ER' after Clooney's departure.
The list of grievances is endless.
Redditor rayray1010 wanted to hear about the ways TV has been destroyed, so they asked:
"What single plot decision ruined a good television series?"
Break Out
"Prison Break was a great concept for a show. But then once they broke out of prison they kept making the show."
Se7enLC
"Fox doesn't know when to cancel a show. They either go for a season or two too long or they get canceled too early."
bangbangracer
Too Weird
"Deb being in love with Dexter. I don't know what they were thinking."
wilmontcm
"It was kind of pointless. If they brought it up in the first place, they should've run with it. Then, on their wedding day, Debra finds Dexter's slides."
"I can hear her now 'I was getting ready to marry my brother, but now I find out he's a f**king serial killer!!'"
GrandUnhappy9211
"Came looking for this. Weirdest plot choice ever."
RateNXS
Grievances
"We could fill this entire comment section with GoT grievances :/ "
DIWhy-not
"Season eight singlehandedly took one of, if not the most talked about shows at the time and made collapse into pop culture oblivion! Not a single person I knew or interacted with wasn't watching 'Game of Thrones,' I swear every other conversation looped back to that show eventually, but after S8 no one gave a sh*t about it."
Enganeer09
"There were so many, and this is so unpopular opinion, but Dany and Jon falling in love was just boring. I hope GRRM avoids it but I guess the chance for that is low. I mean, the chance he ever finishes another book for the series is low."
sharksarenotreal
Over It
"The Blacklist writers almost cruelly withholding answers from the audience year after year after year."
zsal830
"I gave up when Liz died and Dembe became an FBI agent, and the show was already dying before that for me. I loved watching James Spader's acting, but it got to the point that even that wasn't enough to keep me involved. I've heard it's in the final season now, so once it's over I'll just Google the ending and that's good enough for me."
Bobisburnsred
Bad Changes
"Misfits when they started getting rid of the main characters from season 1."
discostud1515
"The second the group changed the show lost what made it great."
legend_forge
That show was delightfully strange and certainly fit its title.
Cast shake-ups can really zap a show of its magic... especially when the show itself is about super powers.
Oh Luke
"When they revealed Luke had a child he didn't know about in Gilmore Girls."
writtenrain
"Like I feel bad because she’s a kid, but I hate April. Such a terrible plot device. There was plenty going on without her coming into the picture."
helloitstessa
Stop at the beginning
"When they left the park in Westworld."
Indian_Bob
"Unfortunately the writers were very keen to write a commentary on AI in society, and thus drove it in a direction, which as a show in itself is interesting, but went a lot further than the source material in this regard. There were two shows there and neither was done justice."
IHaveHivesWithBees
"I think Season 1 is one of the best shows ever made. It has everything: characters, story ark, riddle, and its closure and very good (just a bit open) ending. Other seasons are just an attempt of producers to milk the story and Id rather pretend they don’t exist."
techlogger
Too Soon
"Sherlock f**ked up by killing Moriarty too early."
"Andrew Scott's performance was so great that they then had to keep trying to shoehorn the already dead Moriarty into later plots or end up with the travesty that was the last series with Sherlock's even smarter sister, who secretly cooked up everything with Mortiarty, just so they could have more Moriarty scenes."
"The whole show went from top-class Peak TV to absolute dogs**t in a slow decline that started with the poor Doylist decision to kill Jimbo."
Histary_Studentary
A Re-Work
"The overall seventh season of Once Upon a Time. It should have been reworked in its entirety."
StillAnIntrovert
"I agree with that. Another bad point was when they made Emma the Dark One when they literally just introduced Lilly, who had the saviors' darkest potential."
"That could have been an epic villain as 'The Dark Savior.'" Also, them constantly having Rumple and Belle get back together. He was power-driven and would always put her second. I loved it in season 4 when she finally realized that and banished him from Storybrooke."
Electrowhatt19
Many of these franchises jumped the shark, as they say.
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments
Family relationships are already complex, but the involvement of in-laws and an adult relationship take the dynamics of family to a whole other level.
But if someone's spouse were to tragically pass away, they'd have to decide what the future of their family would look like, and whether or not they'd want their in-laws, who'd technically then be disconnected, to stay in the picture.
Redditor TLMoore93 asked:
"If your spouse passed away, would you maintain a relationship with your in-laws? Why or why not?"
Putting Grandchildren First
"Yes, so they could continue to have a relationship with their grandchild."
- CharsOwnRX-78-2
"Absolutely this. In addition, I trust my in-laws alone with my child more than I trust my father, to the extent I have listed custody arrangements in my will. In-laws definitely go before my dad in the custody line."
"I have every expectation that in the event of the worst, they would absolutely still be there for me and my child."
- nutbrownrose
Avoiding Family Drama
"Two of my in-laws don't get along (his sibling and one of his parents). My husband has already told them basically, 'Don't be a**holes if I'm dying.'"
"He does have a disease that can but isn't guaranteed to end his life earlier than average ... anything can happen. We are in our 30s, he was told he wouldn't live past his teens. He's good right now, all things considered."
"That being said, I can fully see my Mother-in-Law either being an angel or a thorn in my side if he passes before she does. Hope it's the former."
"Either way, I know what he wants, and that's no drama or disrespect... but if someone's being an a**hole, he doesn't want to be involved. So I'd be following that."
- Satansrainbowkitty
The Best Relationships
"Yes, they're nicer than my parents."
- Lowflyin
"My mother-in-law is nicer than my mom, anyway. No way I wouldn't be there for her, she's worked so hard to provide for my Fiancé, no way I could not keep her in my life."
- Thrilling1031
The Support System
"I know I've become a better person as an adult so I'm probably easier to get along with now, but the immediate acceptance and love I received from my fiance's family just endeared them to me a million times more than anything I've felt for my own family."
"He has also encouraged me to be closer to my own, which is great."
- Danceswithunicornz
Under Their Wing
"The second I started dating their son, my in-laws took me in and treated me like one of their own. I didn't know what a kind, loving family or parents were really like before, experiencing it was a huge revelation."
"I would absolutely maintain a relationship with them, and I know they would want the same."
- McMew
"My partner’s parents did the same with me. To feel unconditional parental love for the first time was surreal."
"My partner passed away five years ago and I am still close with his mom especially, she brings me so much comfort and I am so happy we have continued our relationship. We desperately needed each other in the early days of our grief and now I don’t think either of us could imagine it any other way."
- arrwine
A Close Bond
"We aren't married (yet) but I refer to my boyfriend's parents as my in-laws. And in turn, they introduce me to others as their daughter-in-law. My boyfriend's mom is my best friend. I absolutely love her to bits. We hit a rough patch a couple of years ago and she took me for coffee to talk about it and assured me that even if the worst happened, she would always be there for me and in my life whether he liked it or not, because she loves me."
"I didn't know what a real family was supposed to be like until I met them either. For my 18th birthday, the first birthday I spent with him, my boyfriend asked me what I wanted to do, and I had never really celebrated my birthday since I was a child because we either couldn't afford it or my mom and I were fighting over one thing or another."
"He knew this because I told him. So, on my birthday my boyfriend picked me up, took me to McDonald's to get a McFlurry, then took me to Dominos to pick up the pizza he ordered for us."
"When we got to his house, his mom had most of the lights off and she was standing in the kitchen with a cake, candles lit, and a gift bag on the counter. They started singing happy birthday when I walked in. To say I cried is an understatement. They have done this every single year since then."
"Christmas is regularly celebrated in my family because we save up for it. But man, that first Christmas I spent with my boyfriend, I cried again because when I got to his mom's house there was a stocking with my name on it and it was full. His whole family got me gifts."
"I wasn't prepared that year, but the next year I went ALL out on gifts for him and his family. His mom includes me in absolutely everything. And when I can't make it to something, I know d**n well she'll be phoning me on her drive home to tell me all about it and give me all the gossip.
- Burnt_Your_Toast
Together Through Grief
"My wife died, in my arms, on May 13th of cancer complications. Her dad called me last night to check in on me and her mom called the day before for the same reason. I call them Mom and Dad, and they will be that for the rest of my life."
- Cubbycupcake-Uther
"I'm so very sorry for your loss. We found out on May 25th that my wife has brain cancer. No cure... just have to treat it and deal with it as long as possible. I have been an absolute mess inside, but trying to hold it together for my two boys. She is the eternal optimist of the family and is ready for whatever comes next. We find out the biopsy results tomorrow."
"Her family is my family, and I know that we will have each other."
"I hope that you are ok and that you can find some peace. This is the worst. If there's anything I can take from this, it is that I will never waste a day... or the opportunity to help someone that needs it. My circle has been amazing, but I know not everyone has that."
- daddyboi83
Chosen Family is Forever
"My oldest sister passed away in 1989 before I was born in 1994. My whole life I've had this guy named Vince in my family. He's the nicest, sweetest, and funniest dude and has always been like a really fun uncle to me."
"He basically lived with my parents for years after my sister died. My Dad took him in as his pseudo son and even after he started dating this wonderful woman years later he would still come on family vacations with us."
"He asked my dad permission to marry his new girlfriend back in the 90s as a sign of respect. Of course, he said yes."
"Unfortunately two years ago or so she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and today her condition is getting worse and worse to the point he can't leave the house anymore."
"He has experienced unimaginable pain for a man to now go through what is essentially two deaths of wives in his life. Again, he's the nicest guy ever, and the positivity he's always carried about himself."
"But yes, if you have a good relationship with in-laws, keep it. Chosen family is forever."
- nightmarenarrative
On the Flip Side
"Absolutely not. I would never talk to them again. They are horrific people."
- Disastrous-Phase-797
"Although mine aren't horrific, they are definitely not my favorite people in the world. I have little to no interaction with them now so having no interaction at all sounds wonderful."
- tjcline09
Inhospitable Environment
"I would totally cut them out of my life. They are horrible people who think only of themselves."
"They've ruined every holiday, birthday, and special occasion where I've included them."
"This is my second marriage and I'm closer to my first in-laws than these posers. I only tolerate them occasionally for my husband but basically, I avoid them now."
- Ihavethebestdogs
Family Heritage
"I would. I like my wife's parents and extended family, and they'd certainly want to know how our son is doing."
"On top of that, my wife's side of the family is African-American, and I feel like my son should have some sort of connection to that heritage."
- Nihiliste
Positive Connections
"Not passed away, but I got divorced almost 20 years ago and still see my former MIL and SIL when they're in town. And I stay with them when I'm in their town. Love them!"
- alert_armidiglet
The Conflicted Answers
"I don't know. I really like my in-laws and consider them family, but aside from the fact that I married their daughter, we have no common ground. I think hanging out with them would ultimately just be painful."
- Anakin_Skywand
"That's what I am thinking. I would totally keep in contact with them, especially because my nephews from her side would be even more confused if I wouldn't visit anymore, and I love them, but I cannot picture how you can continue life if you stay too close to them."
"Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do when my wife passed all of a sudden. Besides losing my grandparents when I was 18, I have never faced a tragic loss and have no idea how I would react."
- ZedsDeadZD
Unconditional Love
"Today is actually my 5-year angeliversary."
"I do keep in contact with her family, and they have been my family for 19 years before she passed away."
"They are still my brothers and sisters. They are still my children's aunts and uncles, and grandmother."
"I still love them like I always have."
- ericstott
The Grandparent Connection
"I'm not widowed but divorced. I made sure my son, who decided on no contact with his dad, kept in touch with his paternal grandmother. We went to visit her at Christmas and her birthday, which is more than my ex did."
"No reason why she should miss out on a grandson entirely, just because we were not together anymore."
- yonthickie
While it's difficult to imagine what life would be like without our favorite loved one in our lives, it might be even more complicated to think of how the surrounding relationships would change.
There were some who saw those relationships dissolving immediately, but others felt they'd lean into these relationships more, accepting the support any of us would desperately need during such a time.